George Russell will replace world champion Lewis Hamilton at Formula One’s Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain, Mercedes announced Wednesday. This comes a day after Hamilton tested positive for COVID-19.

Williams reserve Jack Aitken will replace Russell at Williams this weekend, joining regular driver Nicholas Latifi.

Russel thanked Williams for giving him this opportunity. “I might be wearing a different race suit this weekend, but I’m a Williams driver and I’ll be cheering my team on every step of the way,” he added. 

Russell becomes just the third Briton to represent Mercedes in Formula One after Stirling Moss and Lewis Hamilton.

He said that nobody can replace Lewis, but “I’ll give my all for the team in his absence from the moment I step in the car.”

“Most importantly, I wish him a speedy recovery. I’m really looking forward to the opportunity and can’t wait to get out on track this week.”

Russell has been a member of the Mercedes-Benz junior programme since 2017 when he won the GP3 Series championship as a rookie, before repeating the feat in Formula 2 in 2018.